The issues that were discussed were many. One was false identities.
That some, if not all, use false identities when online. Could this
be destructive? I think that using different identities is fine to
a certain extent--as long as you are not hurting or causing harm to others.
But, I'm a firm believer that with every identity that is being portrayed,
a little of the "real" identity exists. In other words, all the different
identities make up the "real" one.

How important is physical proximity? Some say that they prefer
face-to-face communication, some say that you can be "touched" online in
ways that you can't be physically. Like a person mentioned in the
discussion, "one person's heaven can be another person's hell". Just
as I believe that both nature and nurture shapes an individual, I also
believe that both face-to-face and online interactions is best for an individual.
There are some things that are fulfilled physically that can't be done
online, and there are things that are fulfilled with words and images that
can't be expressed physically. A little bit of both is best.

One's reaction to a situation can be radically different depending
on the expectations. One person shared that if you go to a club,
you expect the people there to be deceiving. And, when you go to
church, you expect the people there to be honest and trustworthy.
Wouldn't it be great if our expectations were always true. But they're
not. Let's take the church example, there are so many people that
are heavily involved in church that are deceitful and break the commandments.
So who can you trust?

How can you verify the intent of someone? People say not to
fully trust someone you meet online. Why? Just because you
haven't seen them before? What difference will physical appearance
make? My best friend for 3 years ended up stabbing me in the back
(not literally, of course). Establishing permanent, trusting relationships
is difficult. Putting your trust in someone is a gamble--whether
it be someone you meet in person or online.

Lately there are people needing help because they are "caught in
the net". Should we be scared?:) I have to admit that the internet
can be very addicting. The first time that I discovered the internet,
I couldn't get myself away from the computer. Oh my, then I discovered
chat rooms and I was hooked. I would stay in the room for hours and
hours. But when you have other things to do, your priorities sort
of fall into place. Thank God.:)

What is Mr. Quentin Jones trying to convey to us? Honestly,
I had an extreme difficult time understanding this article. All the
lingo and vocabulary just went way over my head. Let me try to sum
up his article for you, though. Mr. Jones talks about virtual communities--what
it is, how it is formed, and how people socialize within these communities.
But what constitutes a virtual settlement? Well, you need a certain
amount of permanent member who interact and basically communicate with
one another. A new term, cyber-archaeology, is introduced.
Archaeology is the study of humanity's past by scientific analysis of the
material remains of cultures. Mr. Jones incorporates archaeology
into the virtual world as well as the real world. It is amazing that
these virtual communities and settlements are thought in terms of archaeology--a
new major for students--CYBER-ARCHAEOLOGY.:)

This chat room is one that I came across when I searched Yahoo.
I chose this particular room, TV Room, thinking that it would be a fun
way to learn things like what shows other people like to watch, what they
thought about a certain episode, and who their favorite stars are.
To my disappointment, I didn't get the opportunity to participate in a
conversation that dealt with the topics that I mentioned above. Actually,
I don't recall chatting about TV at all.

As soon as I logged onto this chat room someone requested to chat
privately with me. Surprised and thrilled by the quick interest in
"precious" (my online nickname), I accepted his/her request to chat.
My first question to this person was..."what is your fave TV show?"
His/her first 3 questions to me were..."age and m/f?, where from?, and
do you have a b/f (boyfriend)?" I soon found out this person was
13/m, from Arkansas, and very much single.

Although I was disappointed in my first experience chatting in a
private TV chat room, I remained as a guest in the main room. I made
3 attempts to strike up talk about interesting TV programs--no response.
My messages were ignored and the members of the room continued conversing
about nothing in particular. This room was made up of 19 people who
were bored with nothing better to do (these are their words), just wanting
to make small talk with each other, having no interest in talking about
TV-related topics at all.

This 20ish Room is another chat room that I stumbled into while searching
Yahoo. I expected this room to be a "find-a-mate" kind of chat room
but I was wrong. There were about 15 people in this room and from
my observation, everyone knew each other. By reading the conversations
that were taking place, I realized that the members participate in this
chat room on a daily basis. Whenever a member had to log off, their
farewell message was, "see ya' all tomorrow!" The most anyone said
to me was..."hi and welcome, where from?" I felt a bit rejected.
Now, I wonder--when people say they are going to meet their friends, do
they mean they're meeting face-to-face or online?

After many minutes browsing through the different forums, I decided
on this one; smart girl movie reviews. Why? Mainly because
of the title, "Smart Girl"--sounds pretty good. Although the target
audience for this forum is teen girls, I thought I would take a look.

To my pleasant surprise, this site was so cute. The pretty
background colors and simplistic, decorative designs seemed perfect to
lure girls into this site--it sure worked for me.

This forum is devoted to promoting media either designed for or made
by girls and women. Basically, this website is made by girls, for
girls.

At the end of each screen, there are 5 boxes aligned next to one
another spelling the word "GIRLS"--each box having one letter

Considering all the bad hype Mariah Carey has been getting after
her divorce, I was curious as to how her fan club was doing as well as
what the Mariah Carey Fan Club was like. There are 6 domains in her
site.

1. Where you can obtain photographs, newsletters, fan club information
line phone numbers, exclusive biography & personal fact sheet, official
fan club photo pin, and a fan club membership card.

2. Find out about contests that are being held.

3. More about Mariah

4. Tour Information

5. Discography...pictures of her CD covers

6. A link to The Fresh Air Fund in which Mariah Carey is an active participant.

From what I saw, I don't think much is happening in this club right
now. If you are a Mariah Carey Fan, check it out--don't expect too
much, though.

Tommy Hilfiger has a fan club? Yes--the Tommy Hilfiger Fan Club.
I was so surprised to find this fan club. It is rare that a fashion
designer, a new-comer at that, has a fan club. Well, then again,
I guess it makes sense since everyone in my generation all over the world
owns something from the Tommy collection.

What does his fan club have to offer? Here are his domains...

The Gear...about his clothing line

Site news

Tommy outlets

Chat Room...oh my, there's a chat room

Guestbook

Contact Us

Sit Disclaimer

So anybody out there who sports around the Tommy wear, check this club
out--and maybe join--or just chat with others that love the Tommy line.:)

According to the description in the site, this FamilyLife Online
service is to provide practical, biblical tools to strengthen and build
your marriage and family relationships. It includes...

The FamilyLife Marriage Conference

FamilyLife Parenting Conference

FamilyLife Today, a nationally-syndicated, daily radio program

They also have a new domain called My
Soapbox Online which provides helpful articles that supposedly challenges,
trains, and encourages your marriage and parenting.

For those who are interested in this service, please link to their
site. The site will provide you with a brochure, conferencing schedule
in select regions (Hawaii included), and you can even listen to radio broadcasts.

Ms. Francis' report on newsgroups was very informative but also humorous.
I think her report will benefit the newsgroup "newbies" as well as give
insight to newsgroup regulars. I say this because Ms. Francis discusses
what you should and should not do in newsgroups (for example, spamming
and flaming) and also, how to make yourself feel comfortable and more receptive
within newsgroups. If you take the advice that is given in this report,
I am most certain that you will be recognized in the newsgroups of your
choice--it worked for me.:)

Ms. Shinagawa talks about cyberspace and the mind. In her report,
she basically defines cyberspace and virtual reality in lay terms--in other
words, so that people like me will not get thrown off by all the cyber-lingo.
She goes on by distinguishing the difference between being a "netizen"
and being a "citizen" (her own hypothesis), where "netizen" is your spiritual
identity.

Mr. Shintani's report goes along the same lines as Ms. Shinagawa's.
He also defines cyberspace and it's relationship with the human mind and
also discusses the difference between virtual reality and "real life".
What separates the virtual & real world apart? Mr. Shintani says,
physical form.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

By doing this research on online virtual relationships, I discovered
many more places, besides chat rooms, where people can meet and socialize.
Not only could people socialize but they could also get help and support
with problems or just acquire information on practically any topic or issue.

How did all this affect me? Well, I have to say that this research
and also, reading the reports from the past generations has opened my eyes
to new things. I realize now that there is a whole new world online.
Things that would be difficult or almost impossible to do physically in
the "real world" becomes possible when you enter the "cyberworld".
For instance, I could visit places all over the world, talk to people from
many different countries using my many different identities:), shop and
buy things from several malls, apply for jobs, get some therapy, read some
movie reviews, and stop in a cafe to have a ice mochaccino with a celebrity,
all in one day. Now, could I really do that physically? I DON'T
THINK SO. I love it!!!

What new vision do I have regarding human relationship and culture?
Hmm...I think that we all grow up with values and ideas of things that
are based from our culture. Being human, we tend to think that who
we are is supposed to be the norm. So anyone or anything different
from what we are used to is foreign; and to accept anything foreign is
difficult. We discriminate. What I'm trying to get at is--things
are different in cyberspace (or cyberworld, as I like to call it).
I'm not saying that discrimination doesn't exist--it's just that people
discriminate for different reasons. For example, if your message
in a newsgroup is not pleasing to another, you get flamed or rejected.
Or if you behave a little cocky in a chat room, you get kicked out.:(

What are my implications for the future? I am sure that everyone
is going to be exposed to cyberspace. Everyone is going to discover
their "other" identity and of course, become a "netizen". For me,
I got by without having a computer. It was inconvenient but I got
by. I don't think that will be the case anymore. Just like
every household needs a car, now, every household will need a computer.

IN COMPARISON TO OTHERS

I think all my classmates have done an excellent job with their reports.
I believe that as long as we put effort into our work--it is worth commending.
Therefore, I commend everyone. We all had a jam-packed body (content),
a slight difference in approach, and creative presentation that suited
our own personal style.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

My advise to everyone is...become a "netizen".:) Don't be scared
and just get into the cyberworld. We all live in a world of restrictions--there
is an alternative. Discover it. Also, for anyone who is graduating
like I am, let me share something with you. The money is where the
computers are.:) Best of luck.